Fouzia Bashir, IJSRR 2019, 8(2), 1575-1596 Research article Available online www.ijsrr.org ISSN: 2279–0543 International Journal of Scientific Research and Reviews Asl-us-Sus (Glycyrrhiza glabra L.) –A Potent Unani Drug Fouzia Bashir Research Associate, Central Council for Research in Unani Medicine, 61-65 Institutional Area, Opposite D-Block, Janakpuri, New Delhi. India. E mail address: [email protected] ABSTRACT The use of herbal drugs is as old as human beings. Asl-us-Sus (Glycyrrhiza glabra L.) is a leguminous herb belongs to the family Fabaceae, and isalso known as Mulethi or Liquorice. The plant is found world widely. From Unani classical literature, it is evident that Asl-us-Sushas been used for its Mundij-i-balgham (concoctive of phlegm) property to evacuate fasid madda (morbid matters) produced due to excess or putrefaction of phlegm which causes many diseases like, epilepsy, hemiplegia, facial palsy, anxiety, sore throat, acute hoarseness of voice, uvulitis, Bronchial asthma, bronchitis, burning micturition, gonorrhoea etc. In recent times a lot of scientific studies have been performed on Asl-us-Susnamely phyto-chemical, physicochemical, pharmacological studies. In this paper, an effort has been made to collect information on medicinal properties of Asl- us-Sus mentioned in Unani classical literature as well as those which have been validated in the light of recent scientific studies. KEYWORDS: Asl-us-Sus, Glycyrrhiza glabra L., Mundij-i-balgham, Unani *Corresponding author: Fouzia Bashir Research Associate, Central Council for Research in Unani Medicine, 61-65 Institutional Area, Opposite D-Block,Janakpuri, New Delhi. India. E mail address: [email protected] IJSRR, 8(2) April. – June., 2019 Page 1575 Fouzia Bashir, IJSRR 2019, 8(2), 1575-1596 INTRODUCTION The medicinal plants are being therapeutically exploited throughout the world for treating various ailments, and it is the oldest and the safest method to manage or cure illness. The use of herbal drugs is as old as human beings. Asl-us-Sus is one of the most famous drugs of Unani medicine which belongs to Fabaceae family. Its root (Beekh-e-Asl-us-Sus) and extract (Rub-al-Sus) are widely used medicinally especially in the treatment of Amrāz-i-balghamiyā(diseases due to phlegm) such as Sar‘ (epilepsy), Fālij (hemiplegia), Laqwa (facial palsy), Qabus (nightmare), Mālikholia (Melancholia), Khushunat-i- Halaq (sore throat), Buḥḥa al-Ṣawt ḥād (acute hoarseness of voice), Warm-i-luhāt (uvulitis), Warm- i-Sho’ba al-riyā (bronchitis), Ḍiq al-nafs (asthma) andSu’āl-i-yābis (dry cough) etc. The chemical constituents isolated from the plant are mainly coumarins, flavonoids, terpenoids, volatile oils and amino acids etc. Due to the sweet taste and demulcent property, it is largely used in manufacture of syrup to reduce the bitter taste of medicines. SCIENTIFIC CLASSIFICATION2 Kingdom Planta Subkingdom Tracheobionta Superdivision Spermatophyta Division Magnoliophyta Class Magnoliopsida Subclass Rosidae Order Fabeles Family Fabaceae Genus Glycyrrhiza Species G. glabra IJSRR, 8(2) April. – June., 2019 Page 1576 Fouzia Bashir, IJSRR 2019, 8(2), 1575-1596 VERNACULARS2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 Arabic Asl-us-Sus, Irq al-Sus, Ood al Sus, ‘Uruq al-Sus Assamese Jesthimadhu, yeshtamadhu Bengali Jeshtimadhu, jaishbomadhu English Licorice, liquorice root, sweetwood Gujarati Jethimadha Hindi Mulethi, mulathi, muleti, jethimadhu, jethimadh, mulhatti, mithilakdi Kannada Atimadhura, yeshtimadhuka Persian Bikh-i-Mehak, bikh-i-ribas, ‘usara mehak Punjabi Jethimadh, Mulathi Sanskrit Madhuka, yashtimadhu Urdu Mulethi HABITAT AND DISTRIBUTION The plant is Native to the Mediterranean regions, cultivated in Europe, Persia, and Afghanistan. None of the liquorice yielding species occurs in India but cultivation of Glycyrrhiza glabra L. on an experimental scale has been under taken in several places, notably Baramulla, Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir, Dehradun, Delhi and also in the hilly areas of South India.1, 2, 3, 4 ETHNO-PHARMACOLOGICAL DESCRIPTION According to the Unani classical literature, Asl-us-Susconsists of dried, peeled or unpeeled, root and stolon of Glycyrrhiza glabra L.It reaches up to the two meter high; flowers scarlet blue; leaves resembles with Kasondi (Cassia occidentalis); small legumes appear on the branches which bear 4-5 seeds; roots spread one meter in soil; smell faint and characteristic; taste sweet then bitter, unpeeled pieces are yellowish brown or dark brown, outer layer longitudinally wrinkled and whitish yellow in depth, peeled pieces are smooth and yellow; the fracture is fibrous in the bark and splintery in the wood. In Indian market it is available in unpeeled form but Russian liquorice is imported in 1,4, 6, 7 peeled form. Specimen of unpeeled roots is shown in figure 1. IJSRR, 8(2) April. – June., 2019 Page 1577 Fouzia Bashir, IJSRR 2019, 8(2), 1575-1596 Fig. 1Asl-us-Sus Roots BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION Macroscopic The raw drug Asl-us-Susis characterized by being nearly cylindrical, the upper portion is more or less knotty; segments are from 14-2- cm in length and from 5 to 20 cm in diameter. The outer surface is yellowish brown or dark brown in colour, longitudinally wrinkled with patches of cork, adhering which are prominent thicker rhizomes, the thinner rhizomes often show the presence of alternate buds. Fracture coarsely fibrous; internal colour is yellow and wood radiate centre occupied by small pith. Odour distinctive; taste sweetish and slightly acrid.4, 5 Microscopic The roots are characterized by the presence of several layers of cork cells with reddish brown contents, the inner 3 or 4 layers have thicker colourless wall, the phellogen cells are found to be collapsed in commercial samples of roots. The phelloderms consist of usually 1-3 layers of radially arranged parenchymatous cells and contain isolated prisms of calcium oxalate. The secondary phloem is a broad band parenchymatous medullary rays. The phloem fibres have walls cellulosic in the inner portion lignified on the outer part and radially arrange din groups of prisms of calcium oxalate. The xylem structure in young roots closely resembles tetrarch and it shows absence of pith. Usually four principal medullary rays are present in the young roots. In older roots, secondary thickening of the root is quite characteristic.4, 5 PART USED MEDICINALLY Roots8 TEMPERAMENT (MIZAJ) Hot and dry 8 Hot 2oand dry 1o 7 IJSRR, 8(2) April. – June., 2019 Page 1578 Fouzia Bashir, IJSRR 2019, 8(2), 1575-1596 DOSAGE 3-7 gm 8 5-10gm 13 TOXICITY (MUZIR) 7, 12, 13 Harmful when used in diseases of kidney, liver and spleen CORRECTIVE (MUSLEH) Gul-e-Surkh (Rosa damscena) Samagh-i-Katira (Gum tragacantha) Unnab 7, 13 SUBSTITUTE (BADAL) Rubb-us-Sus (extract of Glycyrrhiza glabra-made from the extract of the root of G. glabra) Turbud (Ipomoea terpethum) Zanjabeel (Zingiber officinale) Khulanjan (Alpinia galanga) Samagh-i-Katira (Gum tragacantha) in case of headache8, 13 COMPOUND FORMULATIONS Dayaquza, Habb-i-Ghariqun, Habb-i-baqla, Habb-i-Nazla, Habb-i-Su’al Musakkin, Habb-i- Surfa, Habb-i-Surfa Qawi; Jawarish asl us sus; Lauq amaltas, Lauq Hulba, Lauq Khiyar Shmabar, Lauq Nazli, Lauq Sapistan, Lauq Shamoon, Lauq Ziqun Nafas, Majun Mughalliz Jawaharwali, Majun Mundi, Marham Kafoor, Namak Sulemani, Qabzeen, Qairuti Aarad Karsana, Qurs-i-Gul, Qurs-i-Mullayyin, Qurs-i-Su’al, Qurs-i-Sartan-Kafoori, Qurs-i-Zarishk, Roghan Sanan, Satawari, Sharbat Sadar, Sharbat Aijaz. 14, 15, 16, 17 PHARMACOLOGICAL ACTIONS Munzdij-e-Balgham (Concoctive of phlegm) Mulaṭṭif(Demulcent) Jāli(Detergent) Muqawwi-e-Ā’sāb(Nervine tonic) Mugharri(Mucilaginous) Muḥallil-e-Warm(Anti-inflammatory) Munaffith-e-Balgham(Expectorant) IJSRR, 8(2) April. – June., 2019 Page 1579 Fouzia Bashir, IJSRR 2019, 8(2), 1575-1596 Kāsir-e-Reyāḥ (Carminative) Daf-e-Humuḍat-e-Mi’da(Antacid) Mudirr-e-Bawl(Diuretic) Muddirr-e-ḥayḍ(Emmenogogue) Muqawwi-e-Dimāgh (Brain tonic) Muqawwi-e-Bāh(Aphrodisiac) Mulayyin (Laxative) Musakkin(Sedative) Musakkin ‘utāsh (sedative of thirst) Daf-i-ḥummā (Antipyretic) Daf-i-Tawaḥḥush(Anti-anxiety)1,8 THERAPEUTIC USES Sar‘(Epilepsy) Fālij (Hemiplegia) Laqwa (Facial palsy) Qābūs (Nightmare) Tawaḥḥush (Anxiety) Mālikholiā (Melancholia) Khushūnā al-Ḥalaq (Sore throat) Buḥḥa al-Ṣawt ḥād (Acute hoarseness of voice) Warm-i-luhāt (Uvulitis) Ḍiq al-Nafas (Asthma) Warm-i-Sho’ba al-riyā (Bronchitis) Suāl-i-yābis (Dry cough) Qulā’ (Stomatitis) Ḥurqa al-bawl (Burning micturition) Suzāk (Gonorrhoea) Sozish-i-bawl (Urinary tract infections) Waja al-mi’da (Abdominal pain) Qarḥa-i-mi’da (Gastric ulcers) Qarḥa-i-Ashnā-i-Ashri (Duodenal ulcers) Warm-i-Mi’da (Gastritis) IJSRR, 8(2) April. – June., 2019 Page 1580 Fouzia Bashir, IJSRR 2019, 8(2), 1575-1596 Bawāsir (haemorrhoides) 1, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 PHYTOCHEMICAL CONSTITUENTS The main chemical constituents of Asl-us-Sus (Glycyrrhiza glabraL.) are coumarins (glycyrin, heniarin, liqcoumarin, umbelliferone, GU-7); flavonoids (flavonols and isoflavones including formononetin, glyzarin, glabrone, glabrin, glabrol, glabridin, glycyrol, and derivatives, kumatakenin, licoflavonol, licoisoflavanone, licoisoflavones A and B, licoricone, liquiritin and derivatives, phaseollinisoflavan; neo-licuroside, chalcones including isoliquiritigenin, licuraside, echinatin, licochalcones A and B; terpenoids (glycyrrhizin glycoside also known as glycyrrhizinic acid or glycyrrhizic yielding glycyrrhetinic (orglycyrrhetic) acid and glucuronic acid following hydrolysis; glabrolide, glycyrrhetol, liquiritic